Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-10
Growing Western Cities.

| The annual reviews published by the
papers in the cities of the West repeat the
familiar story Of uninterrupted progress 10
that neighborhood. This is particularly true
of that Gordon Of cities which stretches from
the lower valley of the Missouri River to
the upper waters of the Mississippi. Kansas
City, Omaha, Des Moines, Minneapolis, ST.
Paul ann Duluth rave all shared i'll the won
derful growth. This is significant evidence
that the West has recovered more rapidly
than the East from the business depression
and 10 already reaping the fruit of new era
of prosperity. Particularly is this noticeable
in Kansas City, Minneapolis and st. Paul,
Each of these cities is moving forward with
giant strides and struggling with herculesn
efforts to win the crown of commercial
supremacy in the new West
The mind 10 lost 10 the bewildering maze
of statistics complied to prove the advance
these places made during the year 1886. The
| reader Rains only a vague idea OF bigness
when told that X 4nsas City slaughtered and
packed 825, 200, 900 worth of cattle and hogs
| during the year; that Minneapolis received
| 81, 000, 900 bushels Of wheat, and that St.
Paul's jobbing trade reached nearly $780,
900, 600. The strides these cities have made
since 1880 is best shown, however, by their
rapid increase in population. According to
the last census Kansas City had 55,Sl3 peo-
pie within its limits; to-day there are doubt
less within the same borders 1875, 900 people.
St. Paul had in 1880 Al. 498 inhabitants; to-
day it has l40, 900. Minneapolis contained in
1880, 46 1856 people, and to-day it has at least
l65 900 Bn. the growth of the year just
past is most slrikingly exhibited bv the build
ing operations OF each city, which foot up
$40, l76 1862 in the first city, 50 658 692 in the
second and 81 800, 900 in the third And all
this progress has be n aid II and attended BY
an Unprecedented extension of the main and
feeding lines of railroads and by the steady
dev elopment of the surrounding country.
With such achievements to boast of it is
not surprising that these cities begin to look
down upon Chicago as "sow' and "behlnd
the age" But while the rest of the country
will rejoice in the material growth of these
young giants aud will watch with interest
their struggle for mastery in the new west,
the fact which will give the most general
cause for exultation is the Knowledge that il
is not all sordid prosperity. 1t is salts
faction to know that education and culture
have gone hand in hand with this
progress. The school houses in any one of
these cities will rival in number and COM
pleteness similar structures in the
best cities of the east, and the
churches and homes. in bt auty of architecture
and in refinement, will not suffer in comparl-
son with any in the land. Another gratifying
thing is the fact that thi. prosperity has been
wrought out of new material aud not gained
ut the expense of older cities The larger
portion of the territory which has brought
wealth and population to these cities was
almost untouched by the pillow twenty wears
ago. Its condition to day, with teemiag
population and thriving towns and cities, is
| the latest illustration OF what an enterp7ising
and ambitious people can achieve. -Phila-
deiphia Press.